Would you rather that Batasan police profited from drugs? Bato asks Reuters, critics

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa blasted anew the Reuters’ report on the “Davao Boys” sent to augment a Quezon City police unit’s anti-drug operations.

Dela Rosa posed a question to Reuters and PNP’s critics, asking whether they want the Station 6 or the Batasan station of Quezon City police make money from the illegal drug business rather than fight the proliferation of drugs in the area.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa giving gifts at a gift-giving program. Photo by Ryan Leagogo/INQUIRER.net

“Wala kaming pakialam doon sa mga report na ‘yan. Ito lang sabihin ko sa kanila: Pumili kayo,” Dela Rosa said in an ambush interview on Saturday.

“Ano ang gusto ninyo, yung pulis na dati sa Station 6 na pinagkaperahan ang droga or ‘yung pulis galing Davao na dinala ni Superintendent Patay na talagang puspusan ang trabaho na labanan itong problema sa droga. Mamili kayo,” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa said this when he led the PNP’s gift-giving program for the families and children of drug war victims who surrendered or who were killed or arrested by the Batasan police.

Reuters recently reported that a group of 10 police officers from Davao City dubbed as “Davao Boys” and led by Police Superintendent Lito Patay were sent to Batasan police to form the core of a “lethal anti-drug unit involved in a deadly path,” and “racking up” the number of drug-related killings in the station.

Reuters’ report also said the group was “involved in more than half of Station 6’s drug-related killings, 62 out of 108 deaths, including the three operations with the highest body count.”

He lamented that the policemen from Davao are sacrificing their time for their family just so they could help the Quezon City policemen from addressing the massive drug problem in the city.

“Itong mga taong ito naghirap ito. Napalayo sa pamilya sa Davao, pumunta dito sa Queson City na walang kakilala at walang relative dahil may misyon para tulungan ang Quezon City para masawata ang problema sa droga,” Dela Rosa said.

“Ngayon pinag-initan porke galing Davao,” he said.

Dela Rosa again urged his critics to file cases instead of “reporting stories without enough evidence.”